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Parsinejad M, Rosenberg DE, Ghale YAG, Khazaei B, Null SE, Raja O, Safaie A, Sima S, Sorooshian A, Wurtsbaugh WA. 40-years of Lake Urmia restoration research: Review, synthesis and next steps. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 832:155055. [PMID: 35395306 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Public concern over environmental issues such as ecosystem degradation is high. However, restoring coupled human-natural systems requires integration across many science, technology, engineering, management, and governance topics that are presently fragmented. Here, we synthesized 544 peer-reviewed articles published through September 2020 on the desiccation and nascent recovery of Lake Urmia in northwest Iran. We answered nine questions of scientific and popular interest about causes, impacts, stabilization, recovery, and next steps. We find: (1) Expansion of irrigated agriculture, dam construction, and mismanagement impacted the lake more than temperature increases and precipitation decreases. (2) Aerosols from Lake Urmia's exposed lakebed are negatively impacting human health. (3) Researchers disagree on how a new causeway breach will impact salinity, evaporation, and ecosystems in the lake's north and south arms. (4) Most researchers tried to restore to a single, uniform, government specified lake level of 1274.1 m intended to recover Artemia. (5) The Iranian government motivated and funded a large and growing body of lake research. (6) Ecological and limnological studies mostly focused on salinity, Artemia, and Flamingos. (7) Few studies shared data, and only three studies reported engagement with stakeholders or managers. (8) Researchers focused on an integration pathway of climate downscaling, reservoirs, agricultural water releases, and lake level. (9) Numerous suggestions to improve farmer livelihoods and governance require implementation. We see an overarching next step for lake recovery is to couple human and natural system components. Examples include: (a) describe and monitor the system food webs, hydrologic, and human components; (b) adapt management to monitored conditions such as lake level, lake evaporation, lake salinity, and migratory bird populations; (c) improve livelihoods for poor, chronically stressed farmers beyond agriculture; (d) manage for diverse ecosystem services and lake levels; (e) engage all segments of society; (f) integrate across restoration topics while building capacity to share data, models, and code; and (g) cultivate longer-term two-way exchanges and public support. These restoration steps apply in different degrees to other Iranian ecosystems and lakes worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud Parsinejad
- Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran.
| | - David E Rosenberg
- Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Utah Water Research Lab, Utah State University, 8200 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-8200, USA.
| | - Yusuf Alizade Govarchin Ghale
- Climate and Marine Sciences Department, Earth System Science Program, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Bahram Khazaei
- Research Application Laboratory, NCAR, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Sarah E Null
- Watershed Sciences Dept., Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, NR 210, Logan, UT 54322-5210, USA.
| | - Omid Raja
- Department of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran.
| | - Ammar Safaie
- Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P. O. Box 11365-9313, Azadi Ave., Tehran, Iran.
| | - Somayeh Sima
- Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Jalal Ale Ahmad Highway, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Armin Sorooshian
- Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, PO Box 210011, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, PO Box 210011, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Wayne A Wurtsbaugh
- Watershed Sciences Dept., Utah State University, 8200 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5210, USA.
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ERA5 and ERA-Interim Data Processing for the GlobWat Global Hydrological Model. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14121950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The reproducibility of computational hydrology is gaining attention among hydrologists. Reproducibility requires open and reusable code and data, allowing users to verify results and process new datasets. The creation of input files for global hydrological models (GHMs) requires complex high-resolution gridded dataset processing, limiting the model’s reproducibility to groups with advanced programming skills. GlobWat is one of these GHMs, which was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assess irrigation water use. Although the GlobWat code and sample input data are available, the methods for pre-processing model inputs are not available. Here, we present a set of open-source Python and YAML scripts within the Earth System Model Evaluation Tool (ESMValTool) that provide a formalized technique for developing and processing GlobWat model weather inputs. We demonstrate the use of these scripts with the ERA5 and ERA-Interim datasets from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). To demonstrate the advantage of using these scripts, we ran the GlobWat model for 30 years for the entire world. The focus of the evaluation was on the Urmia Lake Basin in Iran. The validation of the model against the observed discharge in this basin showed that the combination of ERA5 and the De Bruin reference evaporation method yields the best GlobWat performance. Moreover, the scripts allowed us to examine the causes behind the differences in model outcomes.
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Nhu VH, Mohammadi A, Shahabi H, Shirzadi A, Al-Ansari N, Ahmad BB, Chen W, Khodadadi M, Ahmadi M, Khosravi K, Jaafari A, Nguyen H. Monitoring and Assessment of Water Level Fluctuations of the Lake Urmia and Its Environmental Consequences Using Multitemporal Landsat 7 ETM + Images. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17124210. [PMID: 32545634 PMCID: PMC7345176 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
The declining water level in Lake Urmia has become a significant issue for Iranian policy and decision makers. This lake has been experiencing an abrupt decrease in water level and is at real risk of becoming a complete saline land. Because of its position, assessment of changes in the Lake Urmia is essential. This study aims to evaluate changes in the water level of Lake Urmia using the space-borne remote sensing and GIS techniques. Therefore, multispectral Landsat 7 ETM+ images for the years 2000, 2010, and 2017 were acquired. In addition, precipitation and temperature data for 31 years between 1986 and 2017 were collected for further analysis. Results indicate that the increased temperature (by 19%), decreased rainfall of about 62%, and excessive damming in the Urmia Basin along with mismanagement of water resources are the key factors in the declining water level of Lake Urmia. Furthermore, the current research predicts the potential environmental crisis as the result of the lake shrinking and suggests a few possible alternatives. The insights provided by this study can be beneficial for environmentalists and related organizations working on this and similar topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viet-Ha Nhu
- Geographic Information Science Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam;
- Faculty of Environment and Labour Safety, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
| | - Ayub Mohammadi
- Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 51666-16471, Iran;
| | - Himan Shahabi
- Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj 66177-15175, Iran;
- Board Member of Department of Zrebar Lake Environmental Research, Kurdistan Studies Institute, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj 66177-15175, Iran
| | - Ataollah Shirzadi
- Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj 66177-15175, Iran;
| | - Nadhir Al-Ansari
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Lulea University of Technology, 971 87 Lulea, Sweden
- Correspondence: (N.A.-A.); (H.N.)
| | - Baharin Bin Ahmad
- Department of Geoinformation, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia;
| | - Wei Chen
- College of Geology & Environment, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China;
- Key Laboratory of Coal Resources Exploration and Comprehensive Utilization, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710021, China
| | - Masood Khodadadi
- School of Business and Creative Industries, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK;
| | - Mehdi Ahmadi
- Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 51666-16471, Iran;
| | - Khabat Khosravi
- School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Abolfazl Jaafari
- Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran P.O. Box 64414-356, Iran;
| | - Hoang Nguyen
- Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
- Correspondence: (N.A.-A.); (H.N.)
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Intermediate-Salinity Systems at High Altitudes in the Peruvian Andes Unveil a High Diversity and Abundance of Bacteria and Viruses. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10110891. [PMID: 31694288 PMCID: PMC6895999 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermediate-salinity environments are distributed around the world. Here, we present a snapshot characterization of two Peruvian thalassohaline environments at high altitude, Maras and Acos, which provide an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of these ecosystems. The main goal of this study was to assess the structure and functional diversity of the communities of microorganisms in an intermediate-salinity environment, and we used a metagenomic shotgun approach for this analysis. These Andean hypersaline systems exhibited high bacterial diversity and abundance of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Balneolaeota, and Actinobacteria; in contrast, Archaea from the phyla Euryarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, and Crenarchaeota were identified in low abundance. Acos harbored a more diverse prokaryotic community and a higher number of unique species compared with Maras. In addition, we obtained the draft genomes of two bacteria, Halomonas elongata and Idiomarina loihiensis, as well as the viral genomes of Enterobacteria lambda-like phage and Halomonas elongata-like phage and 27 partial novel viral halophilic genomes. The functional metagenome annotation showed a high abundance of sequences associated with detoxification, DNA repair, cell wall and capsule formation, and nucleotide metabolism; sequences for these functions were overexpressed mainly in bacteria and also in some archaea and viruses. Thus, their metabolic profiles afford a decrease in oxidative stress as well as the assimilation of nitrogen, a critical energy source for survival. Our work represents the first microbial characterization of a community structure in samples collected from Peruvian hypersaline systems.
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Asem A, Eimanifar A, van Stappen G, Sun SC. The impact of one-decade ecological disturbance on genetic changes: a study on the brine shrimp Artemia urmiana from Urmia Lake, Iran. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7190. [PMID: 31304060 PMCID: PMC6611446 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Urmia Lake, the largest natural habitat of the brine shrimp Artemia urmiana, has progressively desiccated over the last two decades, resulting in a loss of 80% of its surface area and producing thousands of hectares of arid salty land. This ecological crisis has seriously affected the lake’s native biodiversity. Artemia urmiana has lost more than 90% of its population during the decade from 1994 (rainy period) to 2004 (drought period) due to salinity increasing to saturation levels (∼300 g/l). We studied the influence of this ecological crisis on the genetic diversity of A. urmiana in Urmia Lake, based on one cyst collections in 1994 and 2004. AMOVA analysis on ISSR data demonstrated a 21% genetic variation and there was a 5.5% reduction of polymorphic loci between samples. PCoA showed that 77.42% and 68.75% of specimens clustered separately in 1994 and 2004, respectively. Our analyses of four marker genes revealed different genetic diversity patterns with a decrease of diversity at ITS1 and an increase for Na+/K+ ATPase. There was no notable difference in genetic variation detected for COI and 16S genes between the two periods. However, they represented distinctly different haplotypes. ITS1 and COI followed a population expansion model, whereas Na+/K+ ATPase and 16S were under demographic equilibrium without selective pressure in the 1994 samples. Neutrality tests confirmed the excess of rare historical and recent mutations present in COI and ITS1 in both samples. It is evident that a short-term ecological disturbance has impacted the genetic diversity and structure of A. urmiana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Asem
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,College of Life Sciences and Ecology, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya, China
| | | | - Gilbert van Stappen
- Laboratory of Aquaculture and Artemia Reference Center, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Shi-Chun Sun
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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